Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Craig Cook?


Recommended Posts

Watching him week in week out, he looks like the Craig cook of old. Making starts and even when he’s not out the gate he’s passing. Great to see.

Also, unbeaten at home by an opponent in the last 2 matches. 

Edited by CTD26
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talented rider.. Seems to miss Prem matches more than Champ. Is he better than Lynn's MPT and Patryk.... Yes.. Is he as reliable over a season then MPT, probably not..  Over Patryk, he might be. Depends on Paddy's Polish team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He had a very decent season last year, up until the crash that injured a photographer. That could affect any rider, wether the struggle with mental health or not.

Some comments on the forum suggests he had a bad season, but really he just had a bad end to the season.

Edited by szkocjasid
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great to see Cookie looking more like himself again. Think for his own sake he should take it slow and keep scoring high consistently for Workington before rushing for a spot in the premiership. Get the confidence up very high with a lower pressure environment instead of taking another hit if he isn't getting the same consistency/results in the top league, then mid season see if a place opens up.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No pressure on the lad I would suggest..

28 days to earn a few quid he hadnt budgeted for..

If it works out, great,  he may find a permanent place either there or elsewhere...

If it doesnt, then no loss...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me he's a bit of a mercurial enigma, on his day he's as good as anybody and he can do that consistently until something gets in his head (and I am not talking about his mental health here, before everybody jumps on me, I am talking about his mind management as a professional athlete), history has shown that with various incidents he's been involved in. He's established himself at several clubs over the years and for one reason or another has moved on and it's been quite a surprise to see that.

He is a quality Speedway rider, you don't get to qualify for the GP's without being so, there is absolutely no denying that and he should dominate the CL in its weakened form, PL in it's "strengthened" guise this season? He has the gating ability to be a lot better in the PL than he has recently been, his current form in the CL says it should be a no brainer for a team to include him in their side in the PL especially on a short term basis.

Edited by iainb
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I said pre-season that Cook would be a great acquisition for B'ham in the Prem!

The suggestion got quashed...mostly grunts about Cook's attitude?

Assuming that he's not a Team player and may be difficult to man manage?

This probably relates to previous post (iainb)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would go as far as to say Cook is still the 4th best UK rider..

Put him against any three from Brennan, Ellis, Wright and King, over four races, with each using each gate, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Cook come out on top overall...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

He’s seemed to have  crumbled in the Premiership over the last few years no matter which team he’s ridden for.  Looks like he’s used to winning races in the Championship for fun, but when it comes to Premiership he struggles against both the riders he beats week in week out in Championship and also the top boys in the Premiership  which seems to play with his head a bit and that’s when you see the throttling off/bottling first beds and then the axe comes around and he gets into that vicious circle of moving between clubs after only a month or two as we’ve seen over last few seasons.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, 4BM said:

He’s seemed to have  crumbled in the Premiership over the last few years no matter which team he’s ridden for.  Looks like he’s used to winning races in the Championship for fun, but when it comes to Premiership he struggles against both the riders he beats week in week out in Championship and also the top boys in the Premiership  which seems to play with his head a bit and that’s when you see the throttling off/bottling first beds and then the axe comes around and he gets into that vicious circle of moving between clubs after only a month or two as we’ve seen over last few seasons.  

I think there is a lot of truth in what you say. I've seen other riders suffer from "This is the Premiership, I can't possibly win". It was very telling, listening to Tom Brennan in interview last night. He said something like, "You pull up to the gate and it doesn't matter who else is there. They're all just riders that can be beaten". I like that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, 4BM said:

He’s seemed to have  crumbled in the Premiership over the last few years no matter which team he’s ridden for.  Looks like he’s used to winning races in the Championship for fun, but when it comes to Premiership he struggles against both the riders he beats week in week out in Championship and also the top boys in the Premiership  which seems to play with his head a bit and that’s when you see the throttling off/bottling first beds and then the axe comes around and he gets into that vicious circle of moving between clubs after only a month or two as we’ve seen over last few seasons.  

 

6 minutes ago, False dawn said:

I think there is a lot of truth in what you say. I've seen other riders suffer from "This is the Premiership, I can't possibly win". It was very telling, listening to Tom Brennan in interview last night. He said something like, "You pull up to the gate and it doesn't matter who else is there. They're all just riders that can be beaten". I like that.

He did qualify for the GP series by right though which seems to poo poo that theory, so the self belief should be there. What I find more interesting is the fact that he's been moved on from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belle Vue after quite long stints at those clubs, so there must be something that made those clubs not fancy him, especially at CL level where normally clubs Number 1's tend to stay with clubs for a long long time, unless it's Chris Harris who seems to like to get himself fixed up as early as possible with the first club to make him an offer

Edited by iainb
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, iainb said:

He did qualify for the GP series by right though which seems to poo poo that theory, so the self belief should be there. What I find more interesting is the fact that he's been moved on from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belle Vue after quite long stints at those clubs, so there must be something that made those clubs not fancy him, especially at CL level where normally clubs Number 1's tend to stay with clubs for a long long time, unless it's Chris Harris who seems to like to get himself fixed up as early as possible with the first club to make him an offer

Well the evidence is that the self belief was there. The early signs are that it may be returning, which many fans, me included, would welcome, warmly.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, False dawn said:

Well the evidence is that the self belief was there. The early signs are that it may be returning, which many fans, me included, would welcome, warmly.

Absolutely! There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a rider not ride to his full potential, there are few better consistent starters in the game

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Problem for Cook is he isn't the most popular rider so when he has a poor meeting he gets the most stick, but when he does well he doesn't get the same amount of praise back. Can't be fun to have, that would affect anyone.

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy